Use sources F and G, and your own knowledge, to explain how the police tried to catch Jack the Ripper.

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Introduction

Kirsty Rogers Candidate number: 1135 Use sources F and G, and your own knowledge, to explain how the police tried to catch Jack the Ripper. These sources are useful to some extent but a lot more detail could have been included. The metropolitan police force had only recently been developed and the force only had detectives since 1842. The methods detectives used were slowly developing, but there ideas were very basic at this stage. The basic method was simply to follow suspicious characters whilst wearing plain clothes. Other than this they were aware of footprints and some basic forensic evidence. The policeman on the beat was only trained to stop violence in rallies and major demonstrations and to keep order on the streets of London. This wasn't very useful when trying to catch a serial killer. This was a main factor as to why they did not catch Jack the Ripper. Source G is good evidence of the police methods. The nature is written in the form of a letter. The purpose was to inform the Mile End Vigilance committee that the metropolitan will not be giving a reward. The Mile End Vigilance committee ended up clubbing together and producing their own reward in order to help the police and the Jewish reputation. The origin of the source was the Home Secretary, which were in charge of the metropolitan police. ...read more.

Middle

Everyone is suspicious of any slight change and reports it straight to the police. This wasted a lot of police time. Although the police did listen to some witnesses; such as Elizabeth Long. Elizabeth Longs evidence was only accepted where she wasn't sure, Inspectors ignored her definite time of death fir a police surgeon's time of death. This was another defective part of the police methods they judged the importance of the information due to the class the informant was in. Just before the double murder of Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes the police increased the patrols in the White Chapel area. Although this was successful there was still insufficient numbers of police to cover such a difficult area. Source F is useful to some extent, as it gives me a lot of key information about how the police, the origin of the source, tried to catch Jack the Ripper but it also has its weaknesses. The purpose of the source was to inform the public and ask for their help. The nature of the source was given out in the form of hand bills by the police. The purpose of this source therefore shows that the police, where desperate. This police notice was given out on "...Friday 31st ..."of September in 1888 after the double murder of Elizabeth stride Catherine Eddowes. This was a last resort for the police as they had no information at all, "should you know of any person of whom suspicion is attached", this is proof as they have no description of that person. ...read more.

Conclusion

All these courts must be lit, and our detectives improved. They are not what they should be." This was a common reaction at the time. The police just weren't doing enough. But on the other hand as we can see from sources F and G, what more could they do. Though the times gave a more balanced view on the situation, "The murders, so continued, are carried out with a complete ruthless which altogether baffles investigators. Not a trace is left of the murderer, and there is no purpose in the crime to afford the slightest clue. All the police can hope is that some accidental circumstances will lead to a trace which may be followed to a successful conclusion." This was a remarkable perceptive assessment of the case. All of the evidence suggests that Jack the Ripper struck at random. He worked so quickly that his victims were unable to put up any sort of a fight. He was entirely cold-blooded, completely ruthless and clearly some sort of sexual psychopath. More than 90% of murders are committed by persons known to the victims, but, in the case of the Ripper murders, it appears that Killer victims were complete strangers. What is more, the killer only selected his victims as result of chance meeting. Even today, murders who work like this are very difficult to catch. This shows how hard it was for the police to try and catch Jack the Ripper. He struck at the wrong time the police were not experienced and the investigators had no real forensic proof. ...read more.

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